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Police raid 'Blackshades' webcam hackers who spied on naked victims
More than 90 people across 16 different countries have been arrested in a coordinated raid targeting users and sellers of a piece of malware, called the Blackshades Remote Access Tool. Known to its friends simply as "RAT," the $40 utility makes it relatively easy to spy on someone via their PC's webcam and their keyboard strokes, and it's thought to have infected around half a million computers since 2010. In the US, the FBI picked up a user in New Jersey who's accused of using RAT to steal sexually explicit photos of 45 victims through their webcams. This follows two earlier Blackshades-related arrests of men accused of capturing and stealing images of thousands of women and girls. The "global takedown" also involved the arrest of a 24-year-old Swedish citizen who's charged with selling RAT and offering technical support to buyers, making as much as $350,000 in the process.
Anti-violent game politician Leland Yee arrested in connection to gun trafficking
In a turn of events that sound an awful lot like something out of Grand Theft Auto, a prominent politician has been arrested on corruption, gun-running and money laundering charges. The irony here is that it's California Democratic Senator Leland Yee, who was a vocal supporter of gun regulation and also authored AB-1179, the (defeated) bill that would have outlawed the sale of violent video games to the Golden State's minors. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the arrest was part of a lengthy sting that brought in some 26 other perps and even involved Yee taking campaign donations from an FBI agent posing as a mafioso. Yee's out on a $500,000 bond according to SF Weekly, but he's due back in court next week and is facing 16 years in prison.
Report: Anti-games Sen. Leland Yee arrested on bribery, corruption charges
California State Senator Leland Yee, noted anti-video games official, was arrested this morning on charges of bribery and corruption, SF Weekly reported. The FBI conducted a raid of San Francisco's Chinatown district, and KCRA reported that agents took "computers and other documents" from Yee's office in the state capitol. Yee previously urged the Supreme Court to review the violent games bill AB-1179 his office authored in 2005, which failed at the Circuit Court level before being pushed through by then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' ruling, deeming the law a violation of First Amendment rights. Yee responded to the decision, declaring that it "put the interests of corporate America before the interests of our children" and that the games industry continued to profit "at the expense of our kids' mental health and the safety of our community." The news of Yee's arrest brings to mind anti-violent games attorney Jack Thompson's disbarment by the state of Florida in September 2008. Thompson's body of work included multiple failed Utah games bills. [Image: Leland Yee]
Microsoft: We have the right to search your Hotmail account (updated)
An ex-Microsoft employee was recently arrested for allegedly leaking company secrets, all because Redmond found evidence against him in his contact's Hotmail account. Hold on, is it even legal for the company to go through someone's account without permission? Well, according to Microsoft, it sure is -- in fact, Hotmail's Terms of Service apparently states that the company can "access or disclose information about you" for a number of reasons. Since Microsoft's actions are quite dubious, it was forced to defend itself (read the full statement after the break) when news of the arrest broke. The company says that while its ToS (which people don't usually read) clearly states that it has the right to look through a user's account, it does so "only in the most exceptional circumstances." [Image credit: Victor/Flickr]
Ex-Microsoft employee arrested for leaking company secrets
Remember all those Windows 8 screenshots that surfaced before the platform was released? Well, some of those might have been courtesy of Alex Kibkalo, an ex-Microsoft employee who was just arrested for stealing and leaking company secrets. Unlike the HTC execs who reportedly stole trade secrets to run a new firm, though, Kibkalo allegedly leaked info to a French tech blogger for something akin to revenge -- he was apparently angry over receiving a poor performance review when he was still with Microsoft. According to Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the accused sent the blogger (whom he met on a forum) parts of Windows 8's code and Microsoft's Activation Server Software Development Kit. While Kibkalo's charging paper states that the blogger only posted Windows 8 screenshots, Microsoft believes its former employee also encouraged him to share the development kit online. He supposedly wanted that to happen so hackers can use the kit (one of Microsoft's defenses against software piracy) to crack the company's products.
Google Glass wearer removed from AMC theater under suspicion of recording
Despite the many uses for Google Glass, this new class of wearable devices is inevitably meeting some growing pains (pictured above is 7'3" Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, a Glass wearer who has experienced some growing pains) as the world gets used to them. One wearer successfully fought a traffic ticket recently and now another early adopter suffered the "embarrassing" experience of being removed from a movie theater for bringing the accessory. In a story originally posted on The Gadgeteer, the unnamed individual stopped by the AMC Easton 30 in Columbus to watch Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, wearing Google Glass attached to his prescription lenses, something he says he'd done before without any trouble. Where the story takes a twist however, is when officers moved in an hour into the movie, yanked the Glass from his face, and brought the man and his wife to separate interrogation rooms for over three hours. Apparently unfamiliar with the device and already on alert for piracy at that theater -- most pirates using this technique bring camouflaged hand-held cameras -- it took quite some time before they eventually (with the owner's permission/at the owner's insistence) plugged Glass into a computer, reviewed the stored images and determined he had not been recording the movie. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Khaalid Wells confirmed the January 18th incident calling it a "brief interview." AMC released a statement to Engadget (available in full after the break) which says theater owners contact the MPAA when suspected recording takes place, in this case prompting an investigation and resulting in contact with Homeland Security. AMC feels like wearing devices with recording capabilities "is not appropriate at the movie theatre," a position that will be hard to hold as movie viewers arrive with their Glass, Gear and other camera-equipped wearable tech, and sticks out here because they were attached to prescription lenses. The initial rollout of camera-equipped phones led to similar awkward interactions, although being arrested certainly takes things to another level. The wearer reports his Glass was returned, undamaged, but at last update he'd received only a few free movie passes for his troubles.
Precursor Games distancing itself from co-founder following child pornography arrest
Precursor Games writer, game designer and artist Ken McCulloch has been arrested by Niagara Regional Police on child pornography possession and distribution charges, Bullet News Niagara reports. Police confiscated a "significant" amount of computer hardware after exercising a search warrant on a home in St. Catharines yesterday. "Having just learned of these disturbing charges today and based on the serious nature of them, Ken McCulloch is no longer affiliated in any way with Precursor Games," CEO Paul Caporicci said in a statement on the developer's official forums. McCulloch's employee profile has been removed the site, and now directs to a 404 error. McCulloch is currently in custody while he awaits a bail hearing, Bullet News Niagara reports. Precursor Games, an independent developer formed from ex-Silicon Knights employees, is generally known for its controversial, unorthodox (and temporarily cancelled) attempts at crowdfunding Shadows of the Eternals, a spiritual successor to Denis Dyack's cult Gamecube classic Eternal Darkness. We've reached out to Precursor Games for comment. [Thanks, Drake.]
Another former Olympus executive arrested in accounting scandal
As a dreaded accounting scandal continues to drag Olympus' name through the mud, federal agents in the United States arrested yet another gentleman in connection with the firm's alleged fraud. Chan Ming Fon, a citizen of Taiwan, was reportedly arrested in Los Angeles today. As the story goes, he was a former bank executive in the company, and he received some $10 million for his assistance in keeping nearly $2 billion in losses from surfacing. Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said the following: "As alleged, Chan Ming Fon was handsomely paid to play an international shell game with hundreds of millions of dollars of assets in order to allow Olympus to keep a massive accounting fraud going for years." But hey, troubles aside, at least we've got an E-5 sequel coming next year! Distractions! Huzzah!
Former Olympus executives plead guilty in accounting fraud trial
Three executives from troubled imaging giant Olympus have pleaded guilty to artificially boosting the company's true value in 2007 and 2008 by concealing losses in financial statements. Former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, ex-auditor Hideo Yamada and former VP Hisashi Mori were charged with fraud in the scandal, which was brought to light last year by ex-CEO Michael Woodford. He was fired by the Olympus board for blowing the whistle, but reportedly received a large settlement for his troubles. The company has since confessed to cooking the books as far back as the '90s to hide investment losses, and revealed in 2011 that it had a billion dollars less in value than previously stated. That, along with the poor performance of its camera division, has forced Olympus to seek a partner or raise capital to survive.
ARMA devs detained in Greece call incident 'completely absurd misunderstanding'
Bohemia Interactive developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, currently detained in Greece on what are reported espionage charges, have relayed a statement to their friends and family."The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained," the pair, currently being held in Mytilene, wrote. "We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon."Bohemia continues to state that the two men were on vacation and were not there on official company business. Furthermore, the company states the pair did not enter any military area and did not take any pictures of military objects for use in the upcoming ARMA 3.
Former Olympus chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa comes down from the mount, into police custody
If you've been following the latest camera industry accounting scandal, then you're probably well aware that all is not well at Olympus. The Japanese company took its latest blow today when former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of having falsified financial statements. The Tokyo prosecutor's office released a statement saying that two other former execs were also brought into police custody, including Hisashi Mori, a former executive vice president, and Hideo Yamada, a former auditor. Olympus is also faced with the possibility of being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange -- the decision has been deferred awaiting further evidence. So what does all this mean for the scandal-ridden camera maker's position in the industry? Little, perhaps, from a consumer perspective, considering that Olympus has continued to announce and ship new products, including the well-received EM-5. The fate of its former executives, however, is less auspicious.
UK teen arrested for illegal BBM, social media crackdown gains steam
Lending further gravity to the proposed crackdown being bandied about in British parliament, an Essex teen has been arrested for sending a BBM that ran afoul of the Serious Crime Act of 2007. The 18-year old, now free on bail, allegedly used the service to encourage copycat attacks of the violent rioting that's swept London, and is set to appear in court on September 1st. It's the second known case to put RIM's private messaging service -- "popular among urban teenagers" as a cheap texting alternative -- in the UK's legal hotseat. For its part, the Canadian electronics maker has since reached out to police, promising to aid the investigation "in any way [it] can." Although no decision has yet been made to extend law enforcement's powers over social media services, such as Twitter and Facebook, arrests like these seem to indicate a murky free speech future.
NYPD creates social networking unit to pick perps, not poke them
You've heard of the Special Victims Unit, but what about the Social Networking Unit? The time has come for criminals dumb enough to boast about their exploits on Facebook and Twitter to pay the proverbial piper. According to NY Daily News, the Big Apple's newly minted Assistant Commissioner, Kevin O'Connor, will enlist the department's juvenile justice unit to hunt down ne'er-do-wells on various social networking sites. So remember, even if your friends don't care about the Cookie Puss you just posted to your Facebook page, somewhere out there someone is watching.
Three suspected members of Anonymous arrested in Spain
The long arm of the law may have finally caught up with some of the hackers behind the recent (and seemingly endless) PSN outage. Authorities in Spain say they have arrested three members of the hacktivist collective Anonymous and seized at least one computer used in the attacks on Sony. Those arrested are believed to have been important in coordinating the group's activities in the country and to have distributed the Loic DDoS tool to others. Now, of course, the Spanish government will have to be on high alert -- if we know one thing about Anonymous, it's that it is not trigger shy when it comes to exacting revenge.
Dell employees arrested for poor decision making skills
Round Rock police responded to multiple 911 calls of a suspicious man carrying two metallic objects inside a building at Dell's HQ campus. The "biker," dressed in all black and wearing a skull mask, was yelling at people to "go to the lobby," according to police reports. The ensuing panic resulted in the arrest of two Dell employees charged with interfering with public duties and deadly misconduct. Now get this: the incident was the result of a marketing stunt gone horribly wrong with the purpose of internally promoting a new product for the Dell Streak tablet "which can interface with Harley-Davidson motorcycles." Because really, leather-clad motorcyclists are constantly complaining about the lack of peripherals for their choppers.
Two arrested for iPad security breach
Two arrests have been made connected to the security breach that exposed thousands of iPad users' email addresses and other info last year. Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer (yeah, that guy again) have been taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to access a computer without authorization and fraud, for allegedly using a custom script (built by Spitler) called iPad 3G Account Slurper to access AT&T's servers, mimic an iPad 3G, and try out random ICC identifiers. Once a valid ICC was found, one could harvest the user's name and email address. Of course, the hackers maintain that this was all done to force AT&T to close a major security flaw, and we'll be interested to see what exactly the company does to make things right.
AT&T hacker's home raided, drugs found, dude detained (update)
Man, one day you have the whole world's ear to talk about slack network security, and the next you're in the joint. Andrew Auernheimer, Goatse Security's hacker-in-chief and a key player in the unearthing of a major security flaw exposing iPads surfing AT&T's airwaves, is today facing felony charges for possession of a variety of potent drugs. That wouldn't be such intriguing news by itself, but the discovery was made by local law enforcers who were in the process of executing an FBI search warrant. Hey, wasn't the FBI going to look into this security breach? Yes indeedy. While nobody is yet willing to identify the reasons behind this warrant, it's not illogical to surmise that Andrew's crew and their online exploits were the cause for the raid. So there you have it folks, it's the first bit of advice any publicist will give you: if you're gonna step out into the glaring light of public life, you'd better clean out your closet first. Update: Before y'all get in an uproar about "white hacker this" and "Police State that," let's keep in mind that this Andrew Auernheimer character (a.k.a. "Weev") is one unsavory dude (not to mention a raving anti-Semite): check out this New York Times piece on Internet Trolls if you don't believe us. After all, it's not really a stretch that law enforcement might be after someone who's in possession of ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, and various other pharmaceuticals.
'Breach' game code theft at PAX East ends in arrest [update]
[Photo: Kevin Kelly] digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/breach-game-code-theft-at-pax-east-ends-in-arrest/'; An attempted theft of Atomic Games' Breach code on the PAX East show floor on the last day of the event was thwarted by vigilant members of the studio. According to a representative for the company, the suspected thief managed to download some of the code and then run into the crowd after he was spotted. He was eventually apprehended in the large crowd and the game's code was found on his computer. "The suspect did admit to us several times, including as he was doing it, that he was stealing the code. He said to myself and several other team members, after being caught, that it was not a big deal, he just really liked the game and wanted to play it with his friends," David Tractenberg, a spokesperson for Atomic, explained. "This guy had only succeeded in copying about 14MB to his laptop before our staff caught him," Atomic Games President Peter Tamte told Joystiq. "Because of the work we do for military and intelligence organizations, we take security issues like this very seriously ... It is fortunate for him that we caught him before any of this ended up on the internet. Many of the hackers who stole Valve's Half-Life 2 code were tracked down by the FBI's Cybercrime Task Force." %Gallery-88941%
UK police nab teen using $30,500 drone
Wired recently reported that the UK Home Office is preparing a national fleet of unmanned aircraft, but the surveillance-loving island nation has had a keen interest in drones for quite a while. Now, Merseyside police (who've had a drone of their own for about six months) are bragging about their first ever catch with the new toy. When coppers heard that a suspected car thief was hiding in the bushes, they wasted no time launching their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with on-board thermal imaging -- which led them to the sixteen year old. In addition to the (alleged) perp, a twenty year old man was arrested in connection with the crime -- but his apprehension was done without aid of the UAV and, as such, not nearly as bad-ass. Both have been released on bail pending further inquiries, and both are believed to be looking into purchasing Parrot AR.Drones for themselves. You gotta fight fire with fire, right? Update: According to the BBC, the thing cost closer to £40,000 (roughly $63,000). That's still a lot of moneys!
Jagex gets RuneScape fraudster arrested in the UK
For quite some time now cheating in an MMO generally only carried with it the repercussion of a virtual slap on the hand. Fake someone out of an item or two, and a GM might intervene, take the stuff and suspend your account. Do something against the terms of service and generally speaking, one might get an account ban. For many farmers and internet fraudsters, this really didn't seem to be much of a deterrent. Just start up a new account and off you go again, taking virtual items, breaking TOS/EULAs, or bilking people for money. Well, that is until now. According to CasualGaming.biz Jagex Games Studio, not content to simply run the cheaters out of RuneScape, actually managed to successfully work with the Police Central e-Crime Unit in the UK to run down an online thief in the real world. The 23-year-old man was reportedly tied to a recent rash of account phishing scams according to an investigation, for which he was arrested. Furthermore, Jagex says that not only are they working with the PCeU overseas, but also with the FBI in the United States. Whether or not other MMO companies will follow this lead and start to chase down the Internet fraudsters plaguing their games for prosecution remains to be seen, but it's definitely worth reading the entire story for Jagex's side of things. [Via PlayNoEvil]
